Madness

The enemy's assault on Numinus grew fiercer. The poor visibility made it difficult for the Ultramarines to gauge the enemy's numbers. Ventanus assessed that at least six to eight thousand enemies were attacking, the majority being mortal troops.

The Word Bearers' mortal forces were entirely different from the auxiliary forces of Kaos; they were more like a group of ignorant cultists and madmen, fanatically fearless of death, even choosing it willingly.

Those enemies carrying explosive vests and melta bombs posed a significant threat to the Ultramarines' defensive lines.

As they died, they still cried out the blessings of the gods, not truly dead but entering the divine realms of their gods to enjoy the rewards of their devotion.

These blindly faithful and ignorant religious legions had a profound impact on the morale of the Kaos auxiliary mortal forces. If captured alive, these mad cultists would sacrifice all prisoners to their god in extremely horrific ways.

Ventanus pondered deeply, unable to comprehend what kind of power or entity had subverted the Word Bearers' fanatical faith in the Emperor, causing these former zealots to fall into the abyss of darkness.

They had betrayed the Ultramarines; this was a premeditated conspiracy, and there would inevitably be more terrifying betrayals.

The enemies charging out of the downpour and thick fog never ceased. Driven by their leaders, these madmen who even embraced death chanted their blasphemous true words, charging towards the trenches, barbed wire, and gates with the momentum of a human tide.

The Adeptus Mechanicus artillery units had unleashed a massive amount of firepower, targeting the dense crowds. Shells landed among them, tearing bodies into countless fragments with shrapnel and shockwaves. Human remains were flung into the air, and the atmosphere was filled with an ominous and eerie aura.

More than half of the veterans of the Numinus 61st Company had been lost, but Sergeant Harlock was still alive. Behind cover, they were repelling the enemy with laser rifles and grenades.

Mortal against mortal, Astartes against Astartes.

Both sides tacitly adopted this tactic of soldier against soldier and general against general, needing to maintain the condition and stamina of the Space Marines.

The presence of the Adeptus Mechanicus greatly alleviated the shortage of firepower. These heavily augmented members of the Guard, after receiving energy and material replenishment, madly unleashed their firepower, clearing out large numbers of enemies with radiation and lasers.

The chanting of the Word Bearers grew louder, their incantations seeming to possess a peculiar magic, keeping the mortals' morale teetering on the edge of madness and sanity.

They carried a large number of explosive vests, attacking every enemy with a frenzied posture, detonating themselves at close range to inflict casualties.

"Hold them on the bridge!"

The Guard and mortal snipers quickly picked them off. When they detonated in place, they took a large number of Word Bearers' mortal troops with them, and continuous tremors spread throughout the increasingly dilapidated palace.

"The enemy's offensive has intensified; they want to pave the way for the Astartes' assault!"

An Ultramarine beside Ventanus roared, believing it was time for the Ultramarines to intervene in the battle.

"It's not time yet. Surus, if I were foolish enough to send men with you, you would only die pointlessly in the rebel tide!" Ventanus refused Surus's suggestion, enraging the Ultramarine.

"I do not fear death; the Ultramarines do not fear it!" Veins bulged on his face, and spittle flew.

"I know you don't fear death, but I think you fear the madness the Word Bearers display, fear the primordial truths they speak of. The universe we knew is vanishing, revealing a logic entirely new to us." Ventanus's words struck a chord in his heart, and he realized his comrade was seeking death.

He had lost some of his faith, choosing to rush towards death in his fear to end this wavering.

"Surus, if we lose our faith and act forcefully yet recklessly because of it, our efficiency will be greatly reduced, and more people will die."

Surus swallowed, asking with a slight tremor, "Captain, what if our Primarch is already dead?"

"Then we will avenge him; we are the Sons of Vengeance."

The figures of the Word Bearers began to emerge from the thick fog. They were so tall that they stood out among the fanatical cultists.

They deliberately used these fanatical mortals to absorb the fortress's artillery fire. The laser rifles had lost all their power after penetrating several individuals, and the attention of the mortal auxiliary forces was forced to shift to the cultists, giving them an opportunity to close the distance.

The Ultramarines also joined the fray. The bolters in their hands roared continuously, and the powerful heavy bolter rounds tore through the crowds, creating a scarlet mist of blood. The Adeptus Mechanicus Guard deployed all their hidden weapons, desperately resisting this wave of attack.

Facing combat of this intensity, even the fearless Word Bearer auxiliary forces found it difficult to achieve results. Thousands of figures were torn apart, making it impossible to find a complete piece of flesh. Lasers and plasma, heavy artillery and bolters intertwined, and even the Word Bearers' Space Marines had to fall on the path of their charge.

Similarly, the firepower bombardment and bolter fire from the Word Bearers also brought continuously rising death tolls to the Kaos army.

The power of the Space Marines' bolters was not safe even behind cover. Soldiers in trenches and emplacements were often torn apart along with their cover by the bolter rounds.

All loyalists endured the grinding attrition of this war, bearing the casualties. Many soldiers were actually new recruits drafted during wartime; they had not received training, only being taught how to fire before being thrown into such a brutal battle.

As long as they fired a shot, their mission was complete. Some cried out, some were paralyzed by fear and collapsed on the ground, and some, in their terror, shouted the Emperor's name and charged at the enemy with melta bombs.

However, the Word Bearers were, after all, participating as organized formations, and their numbers far exceeded those of the Ultramarines.

Some of the more agile Astartes, equipped with jump packs, descended directly onto the defensive lines in leaps.

Too close. At such close range, mortals were completely unable to contend with these weapons forged for war. The reaction speed of the Astartes far surpassed that of mortals. The moment they landed, brutal chainswords and power swords were already reaping lives.

The immense power of the chainswords allowed them to tear fully armed veterans from head to toe, cleaving them in two. The flying blood spray made their armor even more crimson and eerie.

The buzzing of the motors frayed the nerves of many soldiers; they lost all reason and composure, only to die faster on the battlefield.

The Guard opened fire, their targeting systems locking onto the leaping Word Bearers. Micro-missiles and plasma struck them down, leaving trails of black smoke.

The Iron Hands also continuously provided heavy fire support for their own troops. These veterans from Istvan faced these enemies with indifference, venting their rage with bolters.

"Scum, Istvan couldn't bury us either. Are your heads ready?"

Ventanus led the charge. He and his adjutant arrived at the front lines, their power boots stepping on the ground stained red by the corpses of fallen soldiers. Blood mixed with minced flesh made the footing sticky; it was washed into ditches and flowed underground.

He lunged at a Word Bearer, seizing the moment of the enemy's daze to sever its arm with his power sword, simultaneously firing a bolter round at close range that completely penetrated its armor.

The adjutant also intercepted another Word Bearer attempting to attack Ventanus. His power fist emitted the glow of a disintegration field. He wedged himself in, blocking the trajectory of the enemy's power sword, and punched the weapon, damaging it, before smashing its head to pieces with another punch.

The enemy continued to surge. Ventanus used his bolter to pick off enemies, muzzle flashes erupting at the Word Bearers' helmets and throats, spraying blood. The tenacious Word Bearer was not yet dead, merely kneeling powerlessly on the ground, attempting to struggle.

Ventanus showed no mercy. He swung his power sword, using the disintegration field to decapitate this despicable traitor, and in the same motion, cleaved him in half.

The strongest of the Word Bearers charged again. His armor was covered in more terrifying patterns and designs than the other enemies. Numerous evil, blasphemous incantations seemed to carry a certain magic, stealing the souls of those who witnessed them.

He wielded a massive two-handed chainsword. The constantly rotating mono-molecular blade possessed terrifying power. It swung down forcefully towards Ventanus's faceplate, but he blocked it firmly with his power sword.

Ventanus felt the force, like a giant hydraulic press, constantly bearing down on him. The servos of his power armor roared, but his lower legs were forced to bend and deform. He forcefully swung away the chainsword's tearing grip, then bent down and swung, his two deadly weapons spitting out countless sparks.